Hackel after-glow crowd enjoyed Taste of Macomb

After Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel finished touting the county’s assets at the annual State of the County address Wednesday, it was time for another one of the area’s hidden gems to take center stage: Restaurants and food providers.

More than two dozen eateries provided samplings of their menus to the invitation-only crowd of close to 1,000, who marveled over Macomb’s vast variety of dishes at the Lorenzo Cultural Center on the grounds of Macomb Community College in Clinton Township.

“All of these wonderful restaurants donated their food and service and this is a wonderful way to celebrate Macomb County because we really do have a wide diversity of restaurants,” said Grace Shore, CEO of the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce.

The Macomb chamber sponsored the Taste of Macomb networking event along with the Sterling Heights Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Wayne Oehmke, CEO of the Sterling chamber, said the array of eateries shows diners don’t have to drive to Oakland County or downtown Detroit for great food.

“I think it’s awesome,” Oehmke said. “Listen to the buzz -- it means people are taking, having fun and networking. I think it’s a success.”

From sliders by White Castle and Rec Bowl to chicken shawarma and hummus from Shish Kabob Express to Italian dishes from Andiamo and Zuccaro’s Banquet Center, event-goers had a wide variety of food to try out.

“The food is fabulous,” said Lou Moss of Shelby Township as she munched a vegetable plate from Little Camille’s by the Bay.

Mike Lauretti, the retired Eastpointe police chief, made a beeline for chicken piccata from Zuccaro’s before heading over to the White Castle booth. “I’ve never had a bad White Castle,” he said with a laugh.

Natalie Hipskind, who works for a Mount Clemens accounting firm, loved a “rice bowl concoction” from Palazzo Grande. She said the event underscored the diversity of Macomb’s eateries.

“Some friends of mine from Indiana were visiting here recently and they were quite impressed with the wide selection of restaurants we have in the area,” she said. “This event shows how many choices we have in this area when it’s time to eat out.”

Getty Naschak, a cook at BD’s Mongolian Grill in Sterling Heights, was happy to see the positive response.

“People seem to enjoy it. We keep getting people lined up by our table all night, so we must be doing something right,” he said.

Hackel was kept busy greeting and posing for photos with guests, but said he had his eyes on a couple of specific tables.

“I’m going in for the mac and cheese from the Twisted Rooster because I love mac and cheese, and an Achatz pie,” he said.